When I received it, I was dismayed to find that the lege locks are plastic, so I wonder about the long term durability. Fortunately the head is all metal and the whole tripod seems to be pretty well made. I bought this as a hiking tripod to be used with my Canon G3. I wanted something as lightweight as possible while still being stable.- mobile auto mechanic

none . . .

Lightweight
Easy to pack and carry
Smooth and quick setup
Tripod legs deploy separately
Tripod legs can spread to lower tripod close to ground.
Head can be removed and replaced
Pan Tilt head is made of metal and is very solid.

Tripod is not very tall.
Uses plastic leg locks.
Is not intended to support heavy cameras
Tripod head uses 1/4-20 thread rather then more common 3/8 thread.
Light enough to move in wind unless stabilized.

I have used Slik tripods for years and I have always been very happy with them. Although plastics and lightweight metals are commonly used I have never had any problems with them holding up. I have one Slik U8000 tripod that I have had and used for over 10 years with no trouble.

Let's talk about the Slik Pro 330DX. This is a very nice tripod. It is light and easy to carry. It came with a pan tilt head which was not what I really wanted so I have replaced it with a Manfrotto 484RC2 ballhead. I use this tripod and ballhead combination for my product photography. For my backpacking I have a Flashpoint F1 ballhead. This reduces the weight to less then 3 pounds making packing the tripod a whole lot easier. Overall, for me, this makes for a great kit. I have been using this tripod for over 3 months now with no problem whatsoever.

Now, I need to be absolutely clear. This tripod is not adequate to support and stabilize most digital single lens reflex cameras. If you have a larger camera then you need to find a better tripod. But this one works quite well when using lighter digital point and shoot cameras as long as the weather is calm. I use the tripod combinations described above for my Canon Powershot G10 which weighs a couple ounces less then a pound.. I have also used this combination for my Pentax ZX-60 35mm single lens reflex camera with the 50mm lens, which weighs a little more then a pound. Technically it is supposed to support equipment that weighs a little over 8 pounds but I would be nervous using something this heavy. I would not consider using it for anything heavier then 3 or 4 pounds, or for any lenses longer then 100mm. Even with light equipment, if a medium wind begins to blow then I recommend you attach some weight to the bottom of the tripod to further stabilize it. I have modified this tripod with an eyebolt on the bottom of the center column that allows me to attach my backpack, camera bag or use my foot looped through a bungie cord, to apply down pressure to the tripod while I'm using it.

Slik has cut a few corners with this tripod to cut the weight down and to keep the cost low. For example, the leg locks are made of plastic. So far they have worked quite well for me and as long as I am careful with them I don't anticipate that they will present any problems. However, they do represent a potential failure point that you should be aware of. Another possible problem has to do with the height of this tripod. With my Canon Powershot G10 attached to the quick release on the Manfrotto 484RC2 ballhead, the camera is exactly chest height on me, and I am 5' 10" tall. Since I am usually using the rear display screen of the G10 the height of the camera is not a problem for me but if you are trying to use an optical viewfinder it could present a problem because you will have to stoop over to look through your viewfinder.

So, in order to get the most from this tripod there are a few things you should be aware of. Purchase and install a ballhead. Do not plan on overloading it with equipment. Use only lightweight cameras and shorter lenses. Develop a means to stabilize the tripod, especially when the wind comes up. Be prepared to stoop over a lot if you use an optical viewfinder instead of a display screen with live view. Be gentle and don't beat this tripod up to bad since the leg locks are made from plastic.

There is a definite positive side to this tripod as well. The legs can be spread individually to accommodate rough ground. the tripod can be deployed so the camera is very close to the ground for macro work. It is extremely light and easy to pack with you. The price is certainly right. You can use aftermarket ballheads with it. Of course, if it fits your need, the pan tilt head included with this tripod is made of metal and is actually quite solid.

If you understand and can work within some very specific limitations, this is an excellent piece of equipment. By making a few, very simple, modifications, this tripod makes a terrific, very lightweight, backpacking tripod.

Customer Service

Have not needed it so cannot comment.

Similar Products Used:

Slik U8000
Slik U9000
Manfrotto 055
Gitzo

Great for macro Sturdy for smaller light wieght SLR's and compact cameras The head is the best I have ever seen on a tripod of this type, I will never use any other kind from now on I just love it so much! Pretty good build quality gearless neck Independent legs

Not really made for larger DSLR's, thought it can handle one with a lighter lens. Pretty dang short neck is so long it inhibits macro very close to the ground, recomend cutting in half for ground macro work.

I bought the Quantaray version of this tripod because it is the same tripod with a different name. It was made by silk and after checking out the silks I am pretty d*mn sure it came off the same assembly line as the 330 DX. That aside, mine is a Quantaray, by silk QSX 33oo. It is a pretty sturdy little thing, good for use with smaller cameras. I bought mine for use with a Minolta DiMage 7i and with that camera it was an excellent imaging tool. The other commenter below stated that the leg locks are plastic, and this is true, but i have been using mine for nearly two years and I have never had a problem. You may find that this tripod is lacking when considering a full sized DSLR with a meduim to larger lens. It get a bit wobbely with too much wieght and it is not a terribly tall thing so if you are a terribly tall thing I would not recomend it for general use. Where it really shine, and the only reason I use it anymore, is for macro work. It's three independant legs can adujst in just about any configuration you can imagen. It can also get you pretty close to the ground though the center neck keeps it from getting down to far. I am thinking about having that part cut in half.

Customer Service

Ritz is great

Similar Products Used:

Quantaray QSX 8ooI

light weight, price, removable head, almost all metal construction.

plastic leg clamps

I recently bought this tripod online. When I received it, I was dismayed to find that the lege locks are plastic, so I wonder about the long term durability. Fortunately the head is all metal and the whole tripod seems to be pretty well made. I bought this as a hiking tripod to be used with my Canon G3. I wanted something as lightweight as possible while still being stable. This is MUCH more stable than the Slik sprint series and only costs $10 more and weighs less than 1 pound more. It is, of course , not as tough or stable as the Bogen 3001, which I looked at as well. But I decided that, at around 5 lbs with a decent head, I would probably leave the bogen home more often than not and that would defeat the entire purpose. This tripod is a very good value and meets almost all of my expectations, the exception being the plastic leg locks, this being the reason for the 4 star rating. Only time will tell whether these will hold up.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Bogen 3001, larger bogen (for video) cheapies